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Help with dead preamp
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Forums Archive -> The Vault: 2004-2005 | Message format |
Mark in Boise |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750 Location: Boise, Idaho | Following Northcountry's advice that any idiot can take the shims out of my daughter's Celebrity Deluxe CS247, I did it last night. Took out the 2 that looked like little finger nail files and left in the white plastic one. Helped the action a lot, but when I plugged it in, the low strings weren't amplified. The bass control on the equalizer didn't seem to do anything, but I couldn't tell if the pickup wasn't working on the low strings or just wasn't transmitting through the equalizer. Any ideas before I mess with it again and screw something else up? Guitar Center said they'd do it when I bought it, but I told them I wanted to mess with it myself. Just call me Tim Allen. | ||
Buckaroo |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 400 Location: North Texas | Hi Tim, make sure the bridge slot is clear and flat. Also the bone(white plastic thingy) needs to be flat so that the pickup rides evenly on top of it. If there is gaposis, the pickup sometimes does not function properly. Good Luck | ||
an4340 |
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Joined: May 2003 Posts: 4389 Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Piezo crystals depend on pressure to work. | ||
Mark in Boise |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750 Location: Boise, Idaho | Thanks, guys. Fortunately, I didn't wait until Christmas Eve to screw this up. Last year I screwed up my other daughter's Ibanez after Christmas. It had a lot of noise in the preamp and I opened it up to look at it, promptly pulling off the wires to the preamp. Those Fishman preamps sure have tiny little wires and contacts. Took me a couple of days to solder it back together enough so she could send it back for warranty work. Tim the Tool Man is my hero. A long history of disasters don't deter me from continuing to do it myself. Why do we play guitar rather than just listen to someone else? | ||
Northcountry |
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Joined: February 2004 Posts: 2487 | Jeees somehow these messages make me feel responsible? This problem should not be my friend, removing shims is a common practice among all guitar players, experienced and novices alike. Not that much more uncommon than changing strings really. I can't speak for anyone else here but I have never had an electric problem with any Guitar after resetting the action. And sometimes this process take several tries to get it where I like it. Unless I forgot to plug something back in, in the process. Question? did you try the electronics before you moved the bridge? I mean; was this a new guitar or has it beeen used already? If it's new you may have had an electronics problem already, Hope you had the GC plug this in before you left the store? I sure hope one of these guy's who have the experince to have either had this problem or have heard of others who did and can help will do so. Sounds like this may be as simple as having a loose plug not all the way in somewhere??? I thought after playing for 26 years and owning Ovation guitars for almost as many I could advise you to take out a shim or two to help your Daughter play the higher frets a little better? Very sorry indeed if this adventure did not go well? I am very confused why that pickup will only work on one side??? I can tell you it should not have had anything to do with changing your action unless something was put back incorrectly but then you would see that when you tightened the strings? the bridge would obviously be sitting at an angle? Beffuddled in Northville? Randy | ||
Waskel |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840 Location: closely held secret | Lawyer + Technology = broken technology... | ||
Slipkid |
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Joined: September 2003 Posts: 9301 Location: south east Michigan | "Now I don't care who ya are....That's funny " :D And just for you Mark .....copyright 2005 - Larry the Cable Guy | ||
Mark in Boise |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750 Location: Boise, Idaho | Sorry it sounded like I was blaming you Randy. I admit any idiot ought to be able to take out the shims. I fixed it tonight. I think the "white plastic thingy" wasn't pushed all the way to the bass side, causing the bass pickup to not pick up. This time I opened it up, made sure everything was seated properly and it works great. And Randy, I was almost stupid enough to buy the guitar without checking the electronics, but I remembered at the last minute and it checked out fine. Tuner worked fine too, but didn't work on the low E string after I screwed it up. Works fine now. If there's a way, I will find it. And I really do appreciate the help, Randy and everyone. Now if anyone has a dead string when they change shims, I've paved the way. Just move the white plastic thingy. | ||
Waskel |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840 Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Mark in Boise: Now, Mark. Just like a lawyer, using obscure technical terms to obfuscate the dialogue.Just move the white plastic thingy. | ||
Mark in Boise |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750 Location: Boise, Idaho | You should have heard the terms I was using when I was trying to fix the plumbing under the cabin this weekend. Nothing over 4 letters. I have to give Buckaroo credit for using terms that I could understand--white plastic thingy and gaposis. | ||
Waskel |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840 Location: closely held secret | What, plumbing again? I thought you had that fixed already? | ||
Mark in Boise |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750 Location: Boise, Idaho | I fix one thing and something else goes wrong. Wife's new kitchen faucet was plugged with sand. I couldn't get it apart. The old faucet worked fine, but she threw it away. I keep trying to dig a hole to fix an underground valve. I should have finished that before we built the mother of all decks over the valve. It's really hard to work under the deck. I gave up on that again after a bunch of cussing. | ||
Waskel |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840 Location: closely held secret | Cut a hatch in the deck over where the valve is, then reinforce around it to support it well. You may need to get to it in the future. Then build an insulated enclosure around the valve so you can get to it without having to dig it out. | ||
Northcountry |
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Joined: February 2004 Posts: 2487 | Cool. See........ now you know more about Ovation guitars than you did or perhaps ever wanted. Those medium body Korean guitars are pretty well made for what they are and they certainly look fantastic and sound better than they ought to for the price. Nice buy.... I did the same for my daughter, she just loves it! And yeah....... I know any Idiot can change shims Hell Cliff's been doing it for years! Randy | ||
Mark in Boise |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750 Location: Boise, Idaho | Randy, I may have to confess to being even more inept than Cliff. I responded to Waskel's plumbing advice, but must have forgot to hit Add Reply again and lost what I had typed. Half the ones I do send, I read later and quickly spot mistakes or can't figure out why I typed what I did. | ||
Mark in Boise |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750 Location: Boise, Idaho | Waskel, I built the trap door last summer. Only problem is that I need a bigger hole than the trapdoor allows. | ||
cliff |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842 Location: NJ | ". . I know any Idiot can change shims Hell Cliff's been doing it for years! . ." ". . even more inept than Cliff . ." AssWipes. | ||
Mark in Boise |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750 Location: Boise, Idaho | Being more inept than you offends you? Sorry. I take it back. You're more inept than me, from what everybody else says. | ||
Waskel |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840 Location: closely held secret | Now, Cliffie... You should be honored that so many here hold you up as an example. In many ways, we like to think of you as our 'benchmark'. ;) | ||
cliff |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842 Location: NJ | The only ineptitude I'll "fess up to" is my guitar-playing. I'm actually pretty good at "making things work" . . . | ||
Mark in Boise |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750 Location: Boise, Idaho | Come on out, Cliff. I have lots of projects for you. | ||
Waskel |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840 Location: closely held secret | Starting with the plumbing... | ||
cliff |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842 Location: NJ | You're problem is simple: Cabin. . Plumbing. A "Cabin" isn't supposed t'HAVE "Plumbing". | ||
MWoody |
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Joined: December 2003 Posts: 13984 Location: Upper Left USA | You've just graduated to a "Vacation Home"! That is going to cost you! Your best bet is to make it into a "Mother inlaw Home" and cut your losses. | ||
Dude |
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Joined: March 2004 Posts: 241 Location: Le Havre (France) | Hello ! Sorry Mark if you feel that I'm highjacking your thread, but a friend of me has got a similar problem with its guitar. I don't know if it comes from the preamp nor the piezzo (the famous white plastic piece is deadly attacked). He's unable to get all the harmonics when plugged. So, is it possible to change only the white piece ? How can we change it ? Where can we buy another one ? Thank's ! PS : perhaps it is easier to buy a new axe ;) ! | ||
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